Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-20
JOSHUA AND THE sun.
The Miraculous Incident Which
Agitates Many Minds.

-
!he time. 1.-Two gra:utous assumptions
appear TO be involved in this contention.
Fust, it is supposed that a doctrine
analogous to that Ot Ptolemy respecting
the suns motion prevailed at the time OF
Joshua, and secondly, that even II the
sun CEASED to move II could in
no manner affect the aXia, rotation
of The earth. With respect to the first
! superstition IL may be we'll to observe
! that the Exodus" took place about 1900
b. Z. PythagOras tlOurished about 400
B. e., and 1t is well known that he de-
rived his astronomical knowledge in
Egypt, the birth place Of Joshua. Ptole-
my il0urished about 100 b. c.. but the doc
trine which bears bis name was modern
IN comparison to that taught by Pythago-
ras. The Roman author, Seneca, who
tiourished short time previous and sub
sequent to the Christian era, inquiries
whether the universe revolves, the
earth being at rest, or whether the earth
moves while the universe is ixedy For 1t
hath been maintained by some that we
ourselves rise and set here upon the
earth" VINO were these some alluded
to by Seneca, and where and when
did such a doctrine prevail! II we con-
suit Stanley's Lives OF the PhilOso-
piers" we shall and that the doctrine Of
Pythagoras was that the sun was seated
in the midst of the system, around which
the earth and the other planets move.
This opinion Pythagoras seems to have
derived from the Egyptians, VINO HERO
glyphically represented the sun by a
beetle, because as the beetle having
formed ball of cow dung, and lying
upon it's back, rolls it about from claw to
claw; so the other parts of the world are
moved and rolled by and about the sum-"
The doctrine OF PtOlemy-that the sun
moved around the earth-held from Pc
rod about 70 b. G. to A. D. 1880. At the lat
ter period Copernicus revived the old doc
trine of PYthagOras: but, instead of sup
posing the sun to be In motion in the
centre of the system, as believed by the
Egyptians, he conceived it to be motion
less. About 1850 two observers, Calico
and FabriciOus, discovered by the aid OF
the telescope that the sun had a motion
on its axis; 80 from the year 1880 to the
present the belief respecting the SUMS
aXlal rotation is Identical TO that held by
the ancient Egyptians. We have now
seen that during the Christian era three
distinct and conflicting opinions have
prevailed in respect to the SUMS motion.
From A. d. to A, d. 1880 the sun was
supposed to be in motion around the
earth. From A. d. 1880 to A. ID. 1880, the
sun was supposed to be mOtlOnless IN the
centre of our system. From A. ID. 1850
to the present the sun is believed to be
in motion in the centre OF our system.
We can now readily conceive how the
Biblical account respecting Joshua COM
manGng the sun ito stand still" would
be differently interpreted during the
three epOcns above mentioned. From A.
d. l to A. D. 1880 the command
of Joshua would be taken literally.
From A. d. 1880 to A. d. 1850 1t
would appear he had spoke tiguratively,
on the ground that the sun had no
motion. From A. d. 1880 to the present,
while 1t would also be supposed that
Joshua had spoken fguratively, vet, in
consequence of the discovery of the SUMS
motion, the belief from then to the pres
ent would rest on the assumption that even
if the sun ceased to rotate on it's axis it
could produce no physical effect upon the
earth, and therefore could not arrest the
earth's aXial rotation. 1t Is upon this
point now that the Interpretation turns;
bat upon what grounds can it be assumed
that If the sun stood still on its axis it
could not produce the effect which Joshua
desired, VIZ: a prolongatlOn of daylight, or
in Otherw0rds, the suspension OF the earth's
actual rotation! In my opinion the literal
meaning OF the text should be adhered to;
at least it would appear Objectionable to
abandon such on grounds that are purely
nv pothetical and doubtful. We have al
IGduJ seen budb Ouc AuCltUL LXN Dlldub ell
tertained the doctrine that the motions of
the bodies of our system are due TO the
action of the sun. This opinion was also
held by kepler, who distinctly asserted
that whatever force moves the planets re-
sides in and emanates from the sun.
What proof have we that Joshua did not
entertain a similar view and may 1t not
be the correct one? 1t is somewhat re-
markable, but III no way creditable TO the
%
while the earth'S aXial rotation produces
the vicissitudes OF day aud night, and it's
orbital motion gives the inhabitants OF the
earth the vicissitude3 Of the seasons no
corresponding effects are ascribed or sup
posed to result from the SUMS aXial rota-
ton. That doctrine of astronomy which
Is unable to point out effects resulting
from the rotation OF so marvellous an in
s:rument as the sun, or is Indifferent
whether that body is at rest or in motion,
could be believed only on the supposltion
that the Almighty IS guilty of an act OF
supererogation, suppOsitiOn at variance
with our ideas of the Creator, and con-
trary to the maXims OF philosophy. "rhat
nature does nothing in Vain," SAYS PhilO
in dialogues on National Religion" sis
a maxim established in sll the schools"
"Nothing,' says DR.. Clarke, sis without
a sufficient reason why it is rather
than otherwise" Dugald Stewart very
Justly remarks "tnaJ there are some
parts of nature whicu we cannot be SAID
to understand as philosophers, without
the consideration Of USES" The principle
led Harvey to the discovery of the circu-
lation OF the blood. Dugald Stewart
further observes ''that those philosophers
VINO have been most successful in detect
ing the secrets of nature, have been more
strongly impressed with the general ides
of prevailing order and of benevolent de-
sign" aud DR.. Priestly, quoting Hartley,
SAYS that "eVery other principle OF exam
ination, being foreign IN the great plan
on which the universe is constructed,
must lead into endless masses, errors and
perpleXities."
Sir Isaac Newton ascribes marvellous
results to the op ration of an unknown
torce-gives theory on the use OF comets
tails, aud the posslOle use OF Inc comet
itself, but he fails to assign any effect to
the agency OF SO marvellous force as the
axial rotation of the sun.
Accepting the statement Of the prolOn-
CATION OF the day as recorded in Scrip
tlre, there are two reasons for believing
that it was due to the suspension OF the
SUMS motion. First-Because the axial
rotation of the sun is force adequate to